Our Union Street project has been featured again, this time on our favourite local home builder site, theSweeten! Thanks so much to their amazing team for the excellent write up...we could not have described the project better ourselves. See the rest of the article

It's spring and what better time than any to showcase the final product of our sojourns to Paris. From the beautiful curved stairs punched up with vibrant yellow paint from RAL colours, the bright white walls to showcase the client's diverse art collection and an eclectic mix of furnishings, our project really came together in just 3 visits...

So our kitchen refresher project that we showcased last month is featured on West Elm's Front & Main blog this week! I am guessing they liked how we worked in their Emerson dining table, while still allowing it to be the star of the show :) Thanks West Elm!

Might be a bit too late to say happy new year, but we are at least happy to share our latest completed project - a kitchen and mudroom refresher. Pardon our lack of humility but we LOVE how this one turned out. People often ask "what is IDI's style?". I would say that this look comes very close to it - minimal, clean simplicity that showcases an eclectic mix of pieces and LOTS of vintage finds. Niya would probably say it needs more color, but we both agree that all the textures gives this kitchen and mudroom great personality.

We had these vintage metal chairs for awhile and so decided to pair them with this reclaimed West Elm table. The fabric was a recent find. The light fixture is also an antique.

The pair of Eames chairs (background) keeps the space light while balancing color and contrast.

A pop of red and a ton of art makes this muddy mud-room a treat to walk through, The glass door was added to further winterize the house while the antique handle was refinished to add some character.

The brick chimney with it's multiple paint layers brings some color into the space while the old church pew completes the seating arrangement.

More images can be found here. Let us know if you like it as much as we do!

Salut! For those who may not know, we've been travelling to France over the past 6 months to work on a residential project in the heart of Paris. Steps from the Eiffel tower, we really could not have chosen a more beautiful city to add a bit of our own touch of style.

Our first visit to the project site was an eye opener. It took us a minute to "see" the beauty of what lay before us. Once we started looking, however, all that was visible were the awesome pieces of art, an amazingly eclectic furniture selection and volumes upon volumes of books. The interesting history of this duplex apartment will be shared in a future post but I will at least mention the beautiful moldings, two-story windows, curvy iron staircase and the double height living area. Here is a teaser of the progress thus far:

Photo credit: Ishka Designs Inc.

Don't know what your thoughts are, but we are absolutely in love with this project! Language barriers, serious jetlag issues, sprained ankles and the flu has not hindered its progress much, if any at all. And now, the rich history of the clients and their love for the arts shines through all the rooms and we cannot wait to share the home with you once its completed.

NY Space Magazine Oct 2012 Issue. We are featured on page 136! Go get your copy.

Pop the bottle, sprinkle the confetti! We are celebrating the fact that one of our most recent projects is currently featured in a four page spread in the awesome NY Spaces magazine's October 2012 issue. It is their popular Art Issue. And all the photos were taken by our Niya Bascom. AND they used our client's dining area close up for the opening of the well section! So if you have a moment, go get your copy and help us celebrate.

One of our favourite photos of our project. Artwork by Jamal Ince. Photo by Niya Bascom

Special shout out to all the amazing folks who worked with us on this project, including Nick Knacks Creative (contractor), Khem Brady (painter), 33 Woodwork (master carpenter), From The Source (custom furnishings), Jamal Ince (dope artist) and Sana Keefer (stylist).

A few weeks ago we finally specified the last item for our Plumb Street project. What a process it has been. It was almost a year ago, that we rode our bikes down to meet our lovely clients, their 3 kids and the upheaval that had already begun at their home. Asked to provide space plan solutions for the basement and kitchen, design solutions for the bathrooms and master bedroom, and lighting plans and fixtures for all, we began the project in earnest excited by the prospects. This was our first major residential project that did not include furniture selection, just space planning and finishes, fixtures and fittings selection.

Our kitchen design solution incorporating all storage and equipment needs of client. The kitchen is the most impressive room in the house. The husband is in the restaurant business...can you tell?

One of the 3 bathroom finishes selection

Trying to choose the perfect medium tone for the bathroom vanity...can you see a difference? :)

Demolition was underway our first day on site, as the architect approved drawings had the construction crew extending the back of the house approximately 12 feet and the front of the house on the second level a few extra feet. All of which meant their kitchen would more than double in size, the basement could get a home office and a more spacious laundry area, and that there would be enough room for a master bathroom on the second floor.

Aside from lengthy time delays with construction and millwork that continued beyond our final photoshoot, the project went pretty much as expected and the results...well let's just say I want to give our clients the biggest hug ever for their extremely kind words. I know they will be surprised to read this but despite the completely opposite tastes of the husband and wife and as you can imagine the many hours of compromise that ensued, they were amazing to work with and the challenge to convince one or the other and sometimes both was in the end worth all the time consuming effort.

Over the next couple of blog posts we will show how this process unfolded for those interested. But below are the before and after shots. Hope you appreciate the transformation as much as we do.

Master Bedroom Before: Looking into the bedroom shared with their little girl.

Master Bedroom After featuring grasscloth wallpaper, arch window and no baby bed :) The extension at the back of the house allows their baby girl to have her own room. (Styling by yours truly)

Master Bathroom After: the architect managed to squeeze in extra sf for a master bathroom, the rest was left up to us. The new bathroom features our custom designed walnut vanity with leather pull handles and waterfall corian top, axor fixtures, and glass tile.

Stairwell After: newly designed staircase made from white oak (glass banister to be installed soon) with textured sand wallpaper from MDC Wallcoverings

Basement Bath Before

Basement Bath After featuring recycled content tiles that lead from basement, corian counter top and custom cabinetry.

Basement Before

Basement After featuring over 100 additional sf to include new home office leading off hallway and spacious laundry area and boiler room at the end. Storage wall in foreground conceals water main access. Recycled tiles on floor throughout.

Living Room and Staircase Before

Living Room After featuring open staircase made of white oak (glass banister to be installed soon), walnut floors and larger windows.

All colour images taken by Niya Bascom Photography with black and white photos provided by clients. We want to give a huge thanks to them for allowing us to share these with you all and most of all our hard-working team!

Inside IDI

Not just a behind-the-scenes look at Ishka Designs' projects and latest news, Inside IDI brings our readers further into the discerning world of Anishka and Niya.

Read the duo's visually stunning interviews with the artists, chefs and entrepreneurs that inspire, stimulate and appear in their projects, and catch sight of their latest finds, custom builds and secret/now-not-so-secret haunts.